Library FAQ
Where can potential applicants get support and advice?
Support and advice are available through National Contact Points in each EU Member State and Associated Country and through the Enterprise Europe Network.
Who can apply to the EIC Accelerator in 2024 and what funding is available?
Single start‑ups and SMEs (including spin‑offs), individuals intending to launch a start‑up/SME and in exceptional cases small mid‑caps (<499 employees). Grant component below EUR 2.5 million and investment component EUR 0.5–15 million. Short applications a...
Who can apply to the EIC Pathfinder in 2024 and what funding is available?
Pathfinder Open: only consortia can apply with grants up to EUR 3 million (Open deadline 7 March 2024, indicative budget EUR 136 million). Pathfinder Challenges: smaller consortia or single applicants as well as larger consortia, grants up to EUR 4 million (Ch...
Who can apply to the EIC Transition in 2024 and what funding is available?
Single applicants (SMEs, spin‑offs, start‑ups, research organisations, universities) or small consortia (2–5 eligible entities). Grants up to EUR 2.5 million to validate and demonstrate technology and develop business readiness. Deadline 18 September 2024, ind...
Who should read the European Innovation Council (EIC) Work Programme 2024?
Innovative researchers, startups, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), founders and other organisations and individuals interested in innovation and seeking EIC funding or support.
Are the signals presented intended as funding recommendations or predictive priorities?
No. The list is a curated snapshot within the report’s data scope and should not be interpreted as predictive indicators of forthcoming priorities or funding recommendations.
How are the signals organised in the report?
Signals are organised into three thematic chapters aligned with the EIC deep‑tech taxonomy: Digital & Space Technologies; Clean & Resource‑Efficient Technologies; and Biotechnologies & Health.
How could 2D memory and memristor technologies matter for Europe’s resilience and autonomy?
They may improve energy efficiency, functional density and heterogeneous integration at advanced nodes, supporting technology sovereignty, reduced strategic dependencies and key sectors such as automotive and industrial IoT.
How could quantum repeaters contribute to Europe’s security and autonomy?
They could enable end‑to‑end entanglement‑based secure communication beyond trusted‑node architectures, supporting sovereign control over secure communication layers and strengthening resilience of governmental and critical infrastructure communications.
How could scalable MXene manufacturing affect Europe’s strategic position?
It could enable high‑performance, lightweight electromagnetic shielding and other applications within European industrial ecosystems, reducing dependencies on rare‑earth‑intensive materials and strengthening advanced materials value chains.
How does the EIC define a 'signal' in this context?
A signal is an early observable indication of an emerging technological development that may evolve into a defined trajectory if further validated or combined with complementary advances.
How does the EIC engage across the innovation lifecycle?
The EIC supports the full lifecycle from early scientific developments and proof of concept to validation, market deployment and scale‑up via grants, investments and tailored acceleration services.
How does the EIC Tech Report relate to other EU initiatives?
It positions EIC analysis within broader Commission initiatives such as work on an Observatory of Emerging Technologies, DG CONNECT horizon scanning, STEP and envisaged competitiveness coordination tools for the next multiannual financial framework.
How many emerging technology signals does the report identify?
The report identifies 25 signals corresponding to emerging technologies with early indications of scaling potential.
What are 2D materials in the context of advanced memory and memristive devices?
Two‑dimensional materials are atomically thin solids (beyond graphene) like TMDs, h‑BN and vdW heterostructures whose quantum‑confined properties enable resistive memories, memristors and related spintronic and ferroelectric devices.
What are MXenes and what properties make them useful?
MXenes are a class of 2D transition metal carbides, carbonitrides and nitrides with high electrical conductivity, mechanical strength and tunable surface chemistry, enabling EMI shielding, energy storage, sensing and flexible electronics.
What are quantum repeaters and why are they needed?
Quantum repeaters are devices that establish, store and distribute entanglement across intermediate nodes to overcome distance limits in quantum communication without copying quantum information, enabling end‑to‑end entanglement‑based security.
What data and time period underpin the signals in this edition?
Signals originate from internal EIC data drawn from funded projects and proposals submitted to the EIC between Q2 2021 and Q1 2025.
What is the EIC Tech Report 2026?
A structured horizon‑scanning exercise by the European Innovation Council that identifies emerging deep‑tech signals from EIC data and expertise to inform policymakers, innovators and investors.
What is the remit and budget of the EIC?
The EIC is the EU flagship programme for breakthrough deep‑tech innovation under Horizon Europe, with an overall budget of more than EUR 10 billion for 2021–2027.
What manufacturing advances have been reported for MXenes?
Kilogram‑scale production with reproducible properties and controlled batch synthesis has been demonstrated, along with surface passivation strategies extending stability from days to months and processing routes for films and flexible components.
What recent developments are bringing quantum repeaters closer to deployment?
Advances include longer‑lived quantum memories (rare‑earth‑doped crystals, cold atomic ensembles), deterministic single‑photon sources, frequency conversion interfaces, integrated photonic circuits, multiplexing and new repeater architectures such as one‑way r...
What recent progress is reported for 2D‑material‑based memristors?
Recent progress includes improved on/off ratios, low SET voltages, fast switching, strong retention and endurance, low energy consumption, vertically stacked devices, dense crossbar arrays and optoelectronic integration.
Which EIC instruments contributed data to the report?
Data from Pathfinder, Transition and Accelerator instruments (Open and Challenge calls) were included.